Suspended game box score
Game 1 doubleheader box score
Game 2 doubleheader box score
Grinnell, IA – The Prairie Fire sought two wins on Sunday against Grinnell College. Instead, the Pioneers posted a pair of victories and claimed the division title as well as the right to host the Midwest Conference Tournament.
The good news is the Prairie Fire is returning to the tournament for the first time since 2008, when Knox won the MWC championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Division III tourney.
The Prairie Fire needed two wins on Sunday against the Pioneers to host the tourney after Monmouth College (12-22, 4-8) swept Grinnell 7-6 and 4-3 on Saturday in Monmouth.
The Pioneers (16-18, 8-4 MWC) put the pressure on Knox (14-17, 7-5 MWC) after scoring a run in the top of the 12th inning for a 9-8 victory in the first game of the afternoon.
The run scored after first-year pitcher Nathaniel Grady (Antelope, CA) got the first two Grinnell hitters out in the top of the 12th. J.R. Downick followed with a single and then stole second base to move into scoring position. He came home on a single by Kainoa Inafuku.
Grady (2-3) was saddled with the loss despite a solid job in long relief. He threw 6 1/3 innings and allowed one earned run on four hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Andrew Kelley tossed four innings of two hit relief and struck out five to earn his fifth win of the season for the Pioneers.
The teams began the contest on April 7 at Blodgett Field, but it was suspended because of darkness with the score tied at 8-8 going into the top of the ninth inning.
Grinnell followed by taking the first game of the doubleheader, a 2-0 pitchers dual, while Knox came from behind to win a slugfest in game two 12-11.
The same pitchers that finished the suspended game continued on as the starters in the first game of the twin bill.
Grady threw two hitless innings and struck out one before giving way to junior Gabe Ayers (Hanna City, IL). Kelley pitched three innings and Will Pahos came on and tossed the final six for the Pioneers.
The Prairie Fire offense never got going in the game. Knox had two singles, one by sophomore Jackson White (Grayslake, IL) and the other by junior Kyle Walenga (San Francisco, CA). Kelly gave up both hits while Pahos (3-2) was nearly perfect. He allowed only two base runners, both hit by pitches at the plate, and struck out five to earn the win.
Grinnell scored both of its runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Like the previous game, the Pioneers struck with two outs. Jackson Markey reached on a bunt single, Inafuku followed with a single and Downick drove them home with a double.
The Pioneers had eight hits in the game.
Ayers (1-2) was the hard luck losing pitcher after six innings of work.
The nightcap, on the other hand, was a wild game in which the teams combined for 23 runs, 27 hits and seven errors, five committed by the Pioneers.
Grinnell got on the board early, scoring four runs in the first inning against Knox starter, sophomore Dustin Armstrong (Cincinnati, OH).
The Pioneers built a 6-0 lead with two unearned runs and a hit in the third inning.
Knox fought back by plating four runs in the top of the fourth to trim the deficit to 6-4.
Sophomore Erik Smoy (Hoffman Estates, IL) led off with a single and scored when Walenga reached on an infield error. Sophomore Michael O'Connell (Park Ridge, IL) drove home the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly, plating junior Ryan Hoffman (Sugar Grove, IL) who walked following Smoy’s single. Junior Michael Schroeder (Glenview, IL) singled and senior Dexter Brown (Saint Joseph, MN) followed suit with a hit for an RBI. Sophomore Phil Tallman (Park Ridge, IL) drove in the fourth run with a groundout that scored Schroeder.
Grinnell appeared to take control with a run in the home half of the fourth and four more in the fifth for an 11-4 lead. Knox had other plans as the pitching and the offense came together for a big rally.
The Fire scored twice in the seventh inning to cut the Pioneer advantage to 11-6. Schroeder drove in both runs with a double.
Sophomore Peter Marquardt (Clarendon Hills, lL), who entered the game in the sixth inning, walked the Grinnell’s leadoff hitter in the bottom of the seventh. Knox got out of the inning with a double play and a lineout.
The Fire scored four runs in the eighth inning on one hit and a costly error by the Pioneers to close the gap to 11-10.
Tallman and White were both hit by pitches to begin the inning and junior Caleb Weaver (Galesburg, IL) drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Matt Lee (Fullerton, CA) doubled home a pair of runs and first-year infielder Andrew Sparrow (Sullivan, IL) followed with a ground out that scored Weaver. Lee scored on a sac fly by Walenga to get Knox within one.
Marquardt pitched around a pair of hits in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for a big ninth inning.
Schroeder led off with a single and Brown walked to put the tying run in scoring position. Both moved up when Tallman grounded out and White drove in Schroeder with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 11-11. Weaver singled to drive in Brown with what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Marquardt walked the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the ninth. The defense backed him when the next batter hit into a double play. After giving up a single, Marquardt got a ground ball force out at second base to secure the victory.
Marquardt (3-3) earned the win with four shutout innings of relief. He allowed four hits and a pair of walks while striking out one. Grinnell’s T.J. Goetz (0-1) took the loss after all three batters he faced reached base on hits, resulting in two earned runs.
Knox had 13 hits and nine players drove in at least one run. Schroeder was 3-for-5 with two runs batted in. Lee added two hits and two RBI while Weaver and Brown had two hits and drove in a run apiece.
The Prairie Fire will play St. Norbert College (21-11, 12-2 MWC) in the first round of the conference tournament on Friday at 9:00 a.m. at William Penn University. Grinnell will face either Beloit College or Ripon College on Friday at 9:00 a.m. Ripon (17-17, 7-7 MWC) was scheduled to host St. Norbert in a doubleheader on Sunday but it was postponed because of rain. The teams will try to get the games in on Monday.
A loss by Ripon will result in Beloit (17-19, 9-7) getting the #2 seed in the North. If the Red Hawks win both games, a one-game playoff with the Buccaneers will determine which team qualifies for the conference tournament.
Knox has a non-conference doubleheader prior to the tournament when Millikin University (10-25) visits Blodgett Field on Tuesday. The first game starts at 3:00 p.m.
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